Roar of the Defiant
by Zmuh11
Summary: Hey guys! Zmuh11 is back with this story. Sorry it's been so long. This story is the first chapter to what could be a lot longer story, but that remains to be seen. Anyways enjoy this! Zmuh11


**Roar of the Defiant**

**By. Zach Haugen**

**Tamo Bunker**

**Plantet Tukayyid**

**May 4****th****, 3052**

"Central to all units…come in."

The humming of lasers and roaring of machine guns echo in the background of the message.

"Central to all Com Guards…this is an urgent…."

A shout interrupts the message as an explosion fills the message through the static. The desperate message is finally answered.

"This is Haven 4, come in Central," an urgent voice yells.

At first nothing is heard except the roar of explosions. Slowly a broken message comes over the loudspeaker in the headquarters of Dinju Heights.

"This is Central . Situation is code red. Clan Smoke Jaguar has discovered the location of Precentor Martial Focht's bunker. Bastards must have been scouting their flanks. We are being attacked by a Cluster of clan omni-mechs, and clan reinforcements are enroute. We have all fled to the safety of the bunker, but our 'mechs are fighting a losing battle. Soon we will be overrun, requesting all available assistance to this location. All forces of the 2nd and 5th armies are ordered to abandon Dinju Heights and Port Racice and come to the aid of our Precentor. We must protect him at all costs."

An explosion fills the background and cuts out the voice. Gasps and yells filter through the room before the radio operator tells everyone to be silent. Static is all that is heard for several moments, but at last a deep powerful voice fills the control room.

"This is Precentor Martial Focht. Clan troops have discovered the location of Tamo Bunker and are engaging our forces. We have heavy and assault 'mechs engaging the enemy and are holding, but they will not last. I am ordering 2nd and 5th armies to come to their assistance. I have tried to force the enemy to engage in Batchall, but the clans have forgotten all code of honor for this engagement. I repeat all clans have forgotten all codes of clan honor…."

The commander of Dinju Heights finally walks into the control room and is briefed on the dire situation at Tamo Bunker. At first he is speechless, but then he violently slams his fist on a desk and fills the room with his booming voice, "Damnit!" A few of the other people in the room jump at their commander's sudden and loud response.

"If we pull those armies the clans will have no problem taking Dinju Heights. Then they will roll right onto Port Racice, and if the Precentor Martial is captured..."

The commander stops talking and stares straight ahead, his bright green eyes are wide, showing his fear and betraying whatever courage he had.

"If we lose the Precentor Martial, then we will loose the Battle of Tukayyid."

**Eight Hours Later**

Two Clan Smoke Jaguars elementals drag the Precentor Martial from the burning hole that was once his command bunker. His body is burned and covered in dust and dirt. One eye is slashed and the other swollen shut. The elementals take him to a circle of clan members and they throw his helpless body to the ground. The two man machines back off from the Precentor Martial. He lifts himself to his knees and looks toward the smoke filled sky. Pieces of 'mech lie around him, most of the wreckage is white, the color of his Com Guards.

From the circle of clan members a single man emerges. His hair is jet black and he towers over the Precentor. The man mercilessly stares down the Precentor, not caring that the man before him is the commander of his enemy. To him he is just another Inner Sphere freebirth. Menacingly he grabs the Precentor's neck, choking him with his powerful arms. His muscles ripple, even through the uniform. Khan Edmund Hoyt of Clan Smoke Jaguar yells to his soldiers.

"Look at the proud Precentor now," says the clan khan. "Not even the Inner Sphere's most prestigious commander can stop our terrible war machine! We will continue our flight to Terra, and we will win! With this freebirth out of our way nothing will stop us from ruling the Inner Sphere!"

Roars of triumph erupt from all the clan members present. They raise laser pistols and rifles into the air, and dozens of humms erupt from their muzzles. Standing outside the gathering a Gladiator raises its arms and fires its massive Autocanons, filling the air with a deafening roar. But even with all the noise, a faint whisper catches the Khan's attention. It comes from the form clutched in his arm. It comes from the Precentor, and it is full of hate.

"As long as we exist, the armies of the Inner Sphere will always resist you. As long as we exist the people of the Inner Sphere will resist you. The freedom that we enjoy will never die! We will defeat you!!!" The Precentor roars will all his power. The roar is long and booming, it frightens the khan with its ferocity. The other clan members stop cheering at the sound of the Precentor's mad yell. For the roar that they heard bore deep into them, even with all their clan strength they feared this roar, the roar of the defiant.

Pulling a laser pistol from his side, Khan Hoyt blasts the Precentor through the chest. His back erupts from body. Blood and bone soar through the air, but the Precentor continues his roar, soaking the Khan in blood. The Precentor, somehow alive, makes one last stand by spitting in the Khan's face. Disgusted the khan pushes the Precentor off, shooting him in the back one more time to ensure his death. The khan looks up to see his warriors staring at him, looking to their commander for guidance. He raises his arms up and lets out a yell, followed by all the members of Clan Smoke Jaguar. They have won for now, but the memory of Precentor Martial Focht's roar will haunt them forever.

On May 22nd 3052 the clans won the Battle of Tukayyid. Comstar left the Inner Sphere, and the clan war machine continued its invasion, and it did not stop until Clan Wolf reached the shining star of humanity, Terra. Of all the clans that participated in the battle of Tukayyid, only Clan Ghost Bear did not attempt a reach to Terra. The bears had too much area to conquer, but they conquered it all before descending to the planet of Minakuchi, where a young boy named Andrew watched as dropships painted with the symbol of a fierce bear descended towards his planet, his fists clenched tight.

**Ghost Bear Dominion**

**Planet Minakuchi**

**June 30****th****, 3062**

**2130 Hrs**

Looking down at his watch he pressed the soft button on its right side. A neon green glow told him that in half an hour he and his friends would be breaking curfew. Tucking his watch under his sleeves Andrew Foeche turned around to his three friends slowly following behind him.

"It's 9:30 guys, we better get back before 'you know who' decides to cite us for being out too late," said Andrew. His friends all chuckled at the thought, but as soon as the laughter stopped their pace quickened. Even though they all poked fun at their clan rulers it was still a very unpleasant experience to be arrested for being out too late. How Andrew hated them, he always had. When his friends saw that Andrew was not going to pick up his pace, they looked down at the ground and drug along their path.

The streets of the city glow all different hues at night. Andrew took in everything before him, noting every detail. A woman walking on the opposite street dropped her purse in her rush to get home. Andrew heard the metal ping of each coin as it smashed on the ground. The woman did not stop to collect the change that had spilled. Rather she scooped up her purse and began walked briskly. Wind tunneled through the lifeless streets, picking up dust and flinging it in every direction. The air smelled as rain would explode from the dark clouds overhead. A lighting bolt streaked across the sky. It illuminated the city streets for just a moment, but for Andrew the light lasted forever. It showed him the world he now lived in, a world ruled by the clans.

Andrew's head snapped ahead of him a hundred yards ahead. Walking out of a restaurant were two men and a woman. All three walked proudly, more than two and half meters tall, monsters compared to Andrew and his friends. Andrew fixed his gaze. How he hated them.

The elementals of Clan Ghost Bear took up every available inch of space on the sidewalk. Each one looked like they could lift a half ton without breaking a sweat. Corded muscles lined their arms and legs, visible even in the darkness. The two men roared in laughter and lifted their large heads to the sky. A lightning bolt answered the laughter in agreement to the monsters. The three formed a solid wall that no sane person would dare to impede upon, it would take an insane person like Andrew to try this. The beasts did not scare him like everyone else. He was going to teach them a lesson for a change.

Dropping his head and quickening his pace Andrew continued on. He pulled up the collar of the dark jacket he was wearing so all but the top of his head was covered. His three friends all dropped back at the approach of the monstrous forms, just like everyone.

"Andrew don't," one of his friends tried to say, but Andrew had already shut out the world around him. All he focused on were the three mammoths in front of him. He scanned for something he could use, something that would be able to get the three beasts to the ground. Andrew could find nothing at first, nothing that could defeat three elementals. At first Andrew couldn't see anything to use. He knew that construction was going on in the area so there had to be something, but then, he cracked a smile. Set against an old brick building was a tall orange traffic cone, tied to the wall just above it was a coil of rope, just what Andrew wanted, but his timing would have to be perfect.

The beasts were now almost on top of Andrew. He quickened his pace so that at the moment he and the elementals collided he would be right next to the traffic cone. Squeezing as tight as he could to the wall he put his left shoulder forward like he was going to break through the beasts. Unfortunately the beasts were arranged so that the biggest elemental would be the one colliding with Andrew, and he hoped that the elemental would slam him against the wall, giving him just enough time to grab the rope. The big elemental wasn't paying attention to the path ahead. There was little left than two feet between him and Andrew, this was the moment. He looked to the ground and awaited the pain he knew was about to come.

Collision was imminent. There was no way to avoid it. Andrew could do nothing except have faith in his plan. He closed his eyes, and he felt the hard muscles of the elemental for barely a moment.

His world flipped, and he grabbed the rope.

Next thing he knew Andrew was slammed against the side of the building. A ferocious foot slammed him against the base of the wall. The rumors that elementals were inhumanly strong had been floating around Old City ever since the clans took control, but Andrew had not guessed they would be this strong. The impact of the elemental's foot took Andrew's breath. He coughed and gasped for air, his coat was the only cushioning against the hard brick wall. But now he was at the base of the wall, coiled rope in hand, just as he'd planned.

"Look where you walk freebirth scum!" belted the big elemental. Andrew held onto the end of the rope behind his back, allowing his shoulder to slouch to make it look like he'd been hurt. All three giants stood above him, dwarfing him. The cold stares each gave pierced Andrew's heart, but he repelled it with an iron will.

"Stupid boy," said the other male. "How dare you even think you can get by us without being flung to the ground like a helpless dog." The elemental's black hair shined in the light of the building, his dark eyes forced down on Andrew. The bigger elemental pulled Andrew to his feet, and put Andrew into position. Andrew found himself staring at the chests of the giants.

"What do you have to say for yourself boy?" yelled the elemental, while the other two smirked. Andrew tightened his grip on the rope and looked into the eyes of his assailants.

"Well what do you have to say!" the elemental roared.

"Thanks," Andrew said.

The three elementals raised their heads in terrible laughter, each belting out a laugh that could scare a rabid bear. They lost their focus on Andrew, and were vulnerable.

Andrew had his chance.

He dove to his left and rolled onto the hard street. He came out of his roll facing the sides of the elementals, which had just now begun to notice Andrew's movement.

It was too late

With every ounce of defiance in him Andrew pulled on the rope and swept it to his left. The tough industrial rope swept out the legs of all three elementals, causing them to fall forward face first into the hard concrete. The three once mighty beasts came to a crashing halt on the sidewalk, stunned for barely a moment. But for that moment Andrew felt invincible, he had stood up to his oppressors, and he had won.

But now the elementals stared at him, with fury.

Without savoring his victory, Andrew turned around and sprinted towards an alley. Without looking back he entered the alley and jumped over several trash cans, tipping them over. Hopefully it would slow down the elementals for a few moments. Andrew heard muffled screams behind him. The big beasts had gotten up and were making their way after Andrew, not stopping till they crushed the life out of him.

Andrew exited the alley and turned right. He had chosen his location skillfully. His apartment building was only a block down. Sprinting with all his strength he ran, but instead of entering the building he entered another alley. As he ducked into the alley he caught a slight glimpse of the lead elemental emerging from the alley back down the street.

"There he is! That freebirth scum! Get him!" yelled the elemental with a blind rage. Andrew quickened his pace.

Halfway down the alley Andrew stopped and pulled down a fire escape ladder. The ladder always hung halfway down, just low enough for Andrew to grab. The ladder came crashing to the ground and Andrew climbed. As he set his foot on the ladder the elementals came into the alley. Steam seemed to rise off their bodies, as if their blood was boiling with anger. They ran into the alley and Andrew climbed faster. As he reached the stairs the elementals were just about on the ladder. Pulling with all his strength Andrew lifted the ladder. The big elemental made a lunge for it but missed by an inch, and the elemental once again crashed to the ground, Andrew smiled. He pulled the ladder all the way up into a locked position more than twenty feet off the ground.

Not taking another moment to give his assailants a chance to get up, Andrew began climbing the stairs. Each time his foot hit a stair a metal clanging rang out among the building. Lights flickered on from confused residents, wondering who in the hell was causing so much ruckus. When Andrew got halfway up he looked back down the elementals. In shock Andrew saw that the female elemental had managed to get up the twenty feet to the stairs. The ladder was pushed down to allow the other beasts to gain the stairs. Cursing at his underestimation of his enemies Andrew climbed the stairs harder.

Seconds later Andrew reached the roof. The elementals were more than halfway up and Andrew had barely any time. He ran to the middle of the roof and opened the door that led down to a stairwell. Slamming the door against the side of the little hatchway Andrew then crossed the rest of the roof. Resting against the side of the building was a ladder. Andrew grabbed the ladder, knowing full well that his attackers were only moments behind.

Andrew swung the ladder over the side of his building and set it so that it lay on the edge of the adjacent building twenty feet away. The ladder was just long enough to reach the other side, but if a sudden wind came up it could blow the ladder off, but Andrew would have to chance it. He could hear the elementals on the last few sets of stairs before the roof. Stepping on the ladder he reached out with his foot onto the first rung. Quickly he crossed over the gap between the two buildings, but as he reached three quarters of the way across he noticed that the elementals were about to come onto the roof. He had only seconds before they could see him. Swallowing hard Andrew lept forward, as he did he reached down and grabbed the ladder. Pushing the ladder forward as he flew Andrew tumbled onto the other side of the roof. One end of the ladder contacted against the ground, but the other end was still falling. If it came down hard enough it would lead the elementals straight to him. Putting his arms up Andrew caught the ladder as it crashed onto him. The noise was still too loud, but nature lent a hand. A thundering crash emerged from the heavens and filled the world with a deafening roar. Then when it finished, it was silent.

Andrew made no noise and listened. He could hear the footsteps of the elementals on the opposite roof. Each one huffed in confusion.

"Where did he go?" cried the big elemental.

"Obviously down the stairs, let us follow him!" yelled the female. The big elemental nodded in agreement.

"Wait just a moment," said the other male. Walking to the edge of the roof he looked over to the opposite building. He could see the other ledge of the other building. It was tall enough to conceal a person under, but he knew that the boy could not have jumped to the other building. He had to be in the building running to the street, but something told him that was not the way he went, and that this was not the last that they would see of this boy.

"We are wasting time!" yelled the big elemental.

"He has escaped us for now, the boy is crafty," said the other male. "But we will have our revenge on this insolent boy!" The three elementals walked back to the fire escape and climbed down to the street.

On the opposite roof Andrew lay huddled. Breathing deeply he cautiously moved the ladder off of him and sat up slowly. He peered to the other roof and once he saw that the three beasts were gone he stood up rigidly. He pulled the collar of his coat up and put on a pair of black gloves hidden in his pockets. Grabbing an orange cloth from his pocket he wiped down the ladder to remove any fingerprints. If any clan member had found the ladder they might find his prints, and Andrew didn't want the clan to know how to trace him. Andrew had other plans for his clan rulers, ones that might require his prints not be in a clan database.

After finishing with the ladder Andrew walked to a hatch that led to a staircase. He unhooked the latch and started to work his way down, but before he took the first step the sky thundered with a deafening roar. Looking skyward Andrew felt the first drop of a torrential rainstorm. The drop splashed on his forehead and forced Andrew to close his eyes. Then hundreds of raindrops began slamming against Andrew's body, soaking him to the core. Andrew lifted his arms and welcomed the downpour, feeling the rain cool his body from his intense flight from the elementals.

Andrew felt the power of his victory against the clan, although small, he knew that it was the first. He knew that more would come, and that he wouldn't stop until Clan Ghost Bear was gone from Minakuchi.

Suddenly Andrew felt another presence take over him, a presence of defiance, of intelligence, of bravery. Throwing his head back Andrew roared in defiance, as he did the sky flashed with lightning and thunder boomed throughout the sky. Three blocks away the elementals heard this deafening roar of fury, and it frightened them. For the roar that they heard bore deep into them, even with all their strength they feared this roar, the roar of the brave, the roar of the defiant.


End file.
